VIOLATION

01.12.12

Fergie Criminally Charged in Turkey

Dario Cantatore / Getty Images

A Turkish court has filed criminal charges against Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, for a controversial TV documentary for which she went undercover to secretly film orphanages in Ankara and Istanbul. The court accused Ferguson of going “against the law in acquiring footage and violating privacy” of five children. The film, which featured children dressed in bedclothes and rags and showed some who were tied to their beds all day, caused diplomatic outrage—and Turkey claims it was part of a smear campaign to keep it out of the EU. It’s unclear, though, why Turkey waited three years to file charges against Ferguson, and why ITV, the broadcaster, has not been charged. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison.